All posts tagged ‘Lego bricks’

Recently Lego has been getting a lot of flack about the new Lego Friends line that is geared just towards girls. GeekMom Kris recently wrote about Lego Friends, saying that many Lego enthusiasts were excited for Lego Friends because of the variety of brick colors in these sets. Still, even NPR weighed in on the controversy.

But a blog post by a UK Lego enthusiast, Impeus, was brought to my attention this morning that had me a bit troubled.

It was the story of a little girl in the UK who was a member of the Lego Club Jr. When you are a member of this club, you get a magazine four times a year. But when her new magazine arrived it wasn’t the regular magazine, but the new Lego Club Girls.

The Lego Club Girls magazine only had pictures of girls in it and heavily featured the new Lego Friends line, according the blog post at impeus.com. It also had no building plans as well as nothing about the popular Ninjago line that might be considered something that would only appeal to boys. Now this may have only happened in the UK, since one of our GeekDads got the regular magazine and not the special girls edition for his daughter. Since the original blog post was written, there has been an update.

Parents who asked what would happen to the photos their daughters sent in – would they appear in the main magazine, or the girls’ magazine? LEGO reps advised that photos of girls, regardless of the magazine they subscribe to, will appear in the girls’ magazine and not the regular one. This is similar to how LEGO currently put photos of children in the “Junior” age range (up to age 6) into LEGO Club Jr, and those of older kids in the standard LEGO Club magazine. This is what I wasn’t happy about – the erasure of girls from the boys’ experience of LEGO.

When I did a search for Lego Girls Club on the Lego website, nothing came up. I also contacted Lego for comment on the status of Lego Girls Club, but haven’t received a reply as of this writing.

As soon as a reply is received, the post will be updated to include it.

Lego sets aren’t just for kids–and they certainly don’t come at kid prices. I’ve gazed longingly at the “Death Star” and “Imperial Shuttle” kits, the “Mindstorms NXT 2.0,” the adorable “Hogwarts Castle,” and even “The Black Pearl.” But for the combined price of those sets, you could make a mortgage payment.

In fact, every time my husband and I see a Lego display, we comment on how they’re so cool, but so darn expensive. And everyone we knew had piles of them when we were kids–it doesn’t seem like our parents would have bought them at these crazy prices! I decided to compare the inflation-adjusted prices of Lego sets over the years to see how big the difference was.

As it turns out, after going up in the 70′s and 80′s, the average price per brick has actually been trending down. I sampled the prices of sets through the years as listed on brickset.com from across themes and set sizes. To try to make it an apples-to-apples comparison, I excluded minifigs by themselves, accessories, promotional items, games, or anything that required batteries, as well as Mindstorms, Duplo, and non-brick items. Here’s how the data graphs:

One factor that is not accounted for here, which is harder to track, is price/weight. Many people believe (and have observed in their own purchases) that price-by-weight is more consistent than price/brick (i.e., is that a set with 10 2×4 bricks or 10 4×6 bricks?). Prices in any given year are also subject to the changes in oil prices, which may be the biggest factor influencing brick price in the coming years…

I have two theories about the cause of the apparent-but-imagined price increases (feel free to chime in with your ideas in the comments). Initially, I thought that licensing costs for names like Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean were driving the prices up–but the licensed sets don’t seem to be any more expensive per brick than other sets. This lead me to my first theory–that these sets seem more expensive because they contain a lot more bricks than sets did when I was a kid. For example, the $399.99 “Super Star Destroyer” contains 3,152 pieces! In comparison, 1975′s “London Bus” had 110 pieces and sold for $49–after adjusting for inflation, that is an appalling $1.87/brick!

My second theory is that, in my childhood memories, I am actually recalling the products of Lego competitors. We had both Lego and non-Lego brand bricks in our house. (Woe be to the kid who tried to stick the two types together: they never come apart.) One of my favorite sets was the Papa Smurf Loc Blocs set (even if one forum poster I came across calls Loc Blocks, “Legos for kids whose parents hated them.”).

On the up side, the bricks are nearly indestructible (as opposed to your feet, should you step on a stray brick in the dark). This means that the old Lego box languishing in your parents’ garage is just waiting to find a new home in your kid’s room, with 100% of the joy that you had the first time around, for absolutely free.

Legoland Florida had just opened for the day, and we were hot on the trail of the park’s retail manager. We had reason to believe he had the much-desired mobster minifig, and if we could find him, that minifig would be ours.

Trading minifigs is a big part of the fun of visiting Legoland, although many park-goers don’t know about the tradition. Guests who bring a minifig from home (or buy one in the park) can trade it for any of the minifigs park staffers wear on their nametags. Fellow guests may trade with you if they choose to, but staffers are more or less compelled to surrender their minifig when asked.

Legoland staffers sport minifigs on their nametags.

We didn’t know about minifig trading before arriving at the park, so our first stop was the Minifigure Market, where you can buy minifig assortments, customize your own figure, or choose from the mystery packs, which contain an undisclosed minifig (more on that later). We bought a mystery pack, which turned out to contain a boxer with a helmet and gloves. Browsing the gallery of possible minifigs in the mystery packs, my son spotted a mobster and decided that was his trading target for the day. We eyeballed the staff’s minifigs, but none of them sported the mobster. Then the cashier told us that the retail manager, who just left the store, was wearing the mobster on his nametag. “He should be pretty easy to find: He’s wearing a purple shirt!” she said. We headed off in hot pursuit.

Any outing is more fun when you’re on a mission, and finding the perfect minifig is no exception. As we explored the park, searching for the minifig made even ordinary moments more exciting. Waiting in lines for rides became an opportunity to scour the crowd for cool minifigs. We struck up countless conversations with Lego-minded strangers – kids and adults – while contemplating whether to trade for their minifigs. When afternoon came and we still hadn’t found the mobster-wearing manager, we headed back to Minifigure Market to see if they’d had a sighting. They hadn’t, but the manager tipped us off to a different strategy: By feeling through the wrappers of the mystery packs, we could figure out which one contained a mobster.

We began squeezing each of the packets in the mountain of minifigs, feeling a bit like Wonka fans looking for a golden ticket. During lulls in business, the manager would come by and help us palpate the packages. Other customers stopped by to see what on earth we were doing, and some joined the hunt, picking up tips from the staff on how certain telltale shapes can reveal what’s inside, like the furry hat of the British Royal Guard soldier. After patting what felt like hundreds of minifigs, I felt something that seemed like the mobster’s gun-toting instrument case. We checked with the manager for confirmation, and she concurred, so we bought it, and, ta-da…she was right! It wasn’t the way we expected to get him, but we had a great time nonetheless.

Success!

Another insider tip: There’s no limit to how many minifigs you can trade, so bring a bag! Any time you see a staffer with a cool minifig, you can swap it for one of yours. Accessories are fair game, too.

Thanks to Legoland Florida for hosting us at the park’s media preview.

Like Steve Jobs was to Apple fans, Legoland Florida is to all of the young Lego fanatics. On Saturday, October 15, 2011, thousands of loyal fans from around the world converged on the grounds of the new Legoland Florida theme park for its grand opening. Legoland Florida did not disappoint. It was uncanny how passionate and informed the young fans were about Lego. It was eerily similar to how adult Apple fans admired Steve Jobs and his fabulous tech gadgets. It was fun to discover all of the ways Lego fans chose to display their love for the Lego brand.

Young Legoland Florida fans scouting out the park map. Photo by Gina Clifford

A young Legoland Florida visitor expresses his passion for Lego bricks with this cool t-shirt. Photo by Gina Clifford

Legoland Parks are designed to appeal to kids between the ages of two and twelve, so I talked to a bunch of kids in this approximate age range (4 – 13) to learn about their favorites parts of the park. Kids enjoyed sharing their experiences in the park, so taking an informal, non-scientific poll of kids’ favorite experiences at the park was a snap.

The Dragon coaster was definitely the favorite attraction in the park in my poll. Other very popular rides for eight- and nine-year-olds were the Driving School, the Flying School, and the Technics Test Track roller coaster.

Unofficial Favorite Legoland Activity Poll

Theme parks, by their very nature, are extremely stimulating to our senses. Legoland Florida, though, is a bit more laid-back than the usual theme park. In fact, there are many areas of the park where families can take a break. Miniland USA is a great place to linger and take in the amazing details at your own pace. Cypress Gardens, renewed to its original splendor, is indescribably beautiful and a perfect place to escape from the crowds for a bit. Winding paths open into breathtaking vistas of the gardens and Lake Eloise. There are even benches along the shore of the lake under giant oak trees.

Cypress Gardens fully restored to its historic splendor in a section of the new Legoland Florida Park. Photo by Gina Clifford

Several moms noted that there was no sign of over-stimulated children crying and screaming at the end of the day at Legoland Florida. Kids that I spoke with were happy, relaxed, still smiling, and bubbling about their experience in the park– even if their parents were looking worn-out.

Nine- year-olds can be very fussy eaters. Children with food allergies can pose an even bigger challenge. Thankfully, Legoland Florida has healthy, tasty, kid-friendly options. Because we are a wheat and dairy-challenged family, we headed to the Market Restaurant and enjoyed Asian noodles, grilled vegetables, rotisserie chicken, and assorted grapes. Our meals were tasty; the service was fast, and the staff knowledgeable and friendly. We sincerely appreciated that the manager helped us choose items that were dairy- and gluten-free.

Legoland Florida has a store called the Minifigure Market just for building and purchasing minifigures. This store was so packed on opening day that there was a 30-minute wait just to get in from around 4:00 pm until closing. Minifigures, like Lego bricks, can be customized by mixing and matching parts and accessories. Young Lego fans love them.

All Legoland Florida staff members wear nametags made from Lego bricks, and many attach Lego Minifigures to their nametags. A little-know secret I learned from the Legoland Marketing staff is that Legoland staff members wearing a minifigure will exchange minifigures with young park attendees who bring a minifigure to trade. The Legoland staff members have great stories about their trades and love to interact with fans in such a unique fashion.

Adrian Jones, general manager of Legoland Florida wearing a Minifigure on his nametag. Photo by Gina Clifford

Eleven year old Michael from Orlando poses with his mom at Legoland Florida. Michael is a Lego minifigure fanatic and recommends reading the Minifigures Standing Small book. He would love to trade for the Samurai Fan Pick minifigure. Michael attends Milwee Middle School and is the youngest member in his First Lego Robotics League. Photo by Gina Clifford

Clutch Powers fans will surely enjoy the 4D Clutch Powers Adventure movie in Fun Town. The story is well-written, the effects are fun, and the characters are as enjoyable as ever. Do not forget to find Clutch Powers on a billboard in Miniland USA’s Las Vegas.

Clutch Powers 4D. Photo by Gina Clifford

My family was lucky enough to stay at the Nickelodeon Suites in Orlando. Nickelodeon Suites is one of the Legoland Florida Bed & Brick hotels, which includes 13 different hotels in the Orlando and Winter Haven areas. With free shuttle service to and from Legoland, families visiting Orlando attractions can easily add Legoland to their vacation schedules. The short 45-minute bus ride to the Legoland Park was a relaxing way to arrive at the park without having to worry about parking. The best part about the Nickelodeon Suites, however, is that it is a destination full of fun all by itself. It is the ultimate kid hotel and complements the Legoland experience nicely.

The beautiful pools and water parks were probably our nine-year-old’s favorite parts of the Nickelodeon Suites Resort. Like Legoland Florida, the Nickelodeon Suites designed its grounds with kids in mind, and the water parks are no exception. There were plenty of lifeguards attentively watching the swimmers and water slides, too.

Nickelodeon Suites Lagoon Water Park. Photo by Gina Clifford

The character breakfast was quite a hit with the youngsters. Popular Nickelodeon characters like Sponge Bob and Dora the Explorer danced and posed for photos with their fans. Oh, and the food was great, too. In fact, because our server asked about food allergies, we were able to talk directly to the chef. He made us outstanding dairy-free, gluten-free pancakes.

Honestly, the character breakfast appeals mainly to the 4- to 6-year-olds. Our nine-year-old enjoyed watching the crazy singing and dancing, but has long outgrown his love of live dancing TV characters.

There is much more to see and do at Legoland Florida and Nickelodeon Suites. Judging by the passion and creativity I witnessed at Legoland Florida, the future Steve Jobs is probably a Lego fan and wants nothing more than to spend a day or two in paradise at Legoland Florida.

If you’re an uber-LEGO Geek, you probably know that MOC stands for My Own Creation. For those less obsessed than my son uninitiated in LEGO speak, when you use your imagination to build a LEGO creation from scratch (like you’d learn to do with the LEGO Master Builder Academy) it’s considered a MOC.

Hosted by MOCPages, the 2011 MOC Olympics kicks off in September and will span the course of three months as adult and youth builders go head-to-head in seven different elimination rounds. If you want to try your hand at out-creating another LEGO fan, you’ll need to be a member of MOCPages (it’s free) and sign up for the MOC Olympics group. Last year’s entries are pretty impressive!

Yesterday was my first full day at San Diego Comic-Con and it was fantastic! There were so many things to see that I found myself wandering from booth to booth, panel to panel, with absolutely no plan. I thought I’d try to at least walk the floor in some kind of order so that I’d know what I’d seen and what I had to investigate another day, but no, I jumped from booth to booth like a cat chasing a laser dot on the wall.

One booth that was a ridiculous amount of fun was from Lego. They had a giant pile of yellow bricks, and I desperately wanted to swim in it, but there were all these kids and I figured Lego probably would not appreciate my enthusiasm. In addition to the swimming pool that I couldn’t use (but did play with for a bit) their store was selling a handful of early-release Star Wars Lego sets.

There was a Republic Frigate, Anakin’s Podracer and then I found this little gem which was my favorite of the whole bunch. That’s right, it’s called Ewok Attack! I added the exclamation point but I have to say I think there should be one on the box. As a long time fan of the cute but deadly Ewoks, this was the first thing at the con that I really had trouble not buying on sight. You’ve got happy little Ewoks minding their own furry business. Along come the evil Imperials, but fear not! These guys will defeat them with logs and sling-shots and rocks. You’ve just got to love the Ewoks. No, really, you do or they will leave you broken on the forest floor.

Lego Smith Nightspeeder

If you happen to be an Imperial and the Ewoks aren’t your favorites, then what about this Sith Nightspeeder? I think it’s important to note that, speeder or not, the Ewoks could still take you out with a well-placed bit of handmade rope. I know, these aren’t just Imperials, they’re Sith, but the Ewoks are not to be underestimated. Snazzy vehicles pose no challenge. None!

Lego Millenium Falcon

On the other hand, if you’re Rebel Scum, then you can have the ship that made the Kessel run in less than 12 parsecs. Yes, build your very own Millenium Falcon so you can help the Ewoks and shoot down any Sith that may escape their deadly grasp. Yes, Han and the Ewoks had a rocky start, but in the end he came to love them, too. No one can withstand their cuteness.

These great new Lego sets, along with Darth Maul’s Infiltrator, Podracers and a Republic Frigate are only available at San Diego Comic-Con for now, but you’ll see them in stores this August. Now, I’m off to the con again, and if no one’s looking I’m going to dive into that pile of yellow Legos. Think anyone will notice?

With the arrival of mid-summer, many of my tricks to amuse and entertain the four children in my house or at least stop the minions from getting on each other’s nerves are utterly exhausted. It would be different if I had an inexhaustible supply of money or time but I have neither. So this is about the time in the summer where I have to dig much further into the bag of tricks, since telling them I’m not a cruise director doesn’t seem to always work.

This is my Mid-Summer Mom Survival Kit. Some of the items on the list are ones I’ve used in years past, some I still use.

1. Purchase Wizard 101 cards to provide your minion with extra items while playing this family-friendly MMORPG. True, you don’t want your children to spend all summer on the computer but with temperatures running past 90 degrees in my area, this is one game that keeps my kid’s attention when I need to work. It allows for social interaction with other game players. and is also easy enough that younger children will not get frustrated.

Screenshot of the Garden Feature in Wizard 101

2. Gather information on hiking/nature walks available in the your area. At least once a week, I take my kids out to walk or wander around. Luckily, we live in somewhat rural New England, which means there are a lot of choices for our hikes. I pack a picnic lunch, some water bottles, and drag them out in the early morning, before it gets too hot. The hike entertains the kids and wears them out. Double win. Even though I’ve lived in my current location for over a decade, I just found a new hiking area yesterday, a beautiful pond that used to be part of the local canal system. We’re planning a hike next week.

3. Post the hours of all your local libraries on the refrigerator to remind the minions that they are there. Even more, check out the free activities available at the libraries, which can range from summer reading programs to free writing courses to special events like our recent local Living Dragon demonstration.

Also, many libraries have library pass programs, which is essentially a free pass to local museums and parks. Our local one has passes for both Mystic Aquarium and Mystic Seaport, not to mention several science museums.

4. Legos. Lots and lots of Legos. My kids have outgrown them but in the past, the Lego blocks were a very immersive toy. Second place in popularity were the large cardboard building blocks which can be stacked over small children’s heads but damage nothing when they inevitably fall down.

5. Dinner menus. Either print or create a blank dinner menu and hand it to the kids so they can plan the summer meals. My older two are certainly old enough to also cook their meals. Plus for me!

6. Buy an older game system with many games available. The Gamecube is currently $29.99 at Gamestop and there are tons of low-priced games available. Gameboy Advance systems are also available for around the same price and Nintendo just dropped the price of the DS Lite to $99.99 new. If you have even more money on hand, you can go up to, say, the Wii and still buy the inexpensive GameCube games to play in it.

7. Bargain Matinees at the local theaters. Some theaters will even have free movie showings for younger children in the morning. I still have to solve the high-priced and high-calorie popcorn issue but I’m working on it.

8. A Netflix subscription. It’s true, Netflix just raised its prices. But the free streaming is wonderful, especially since my kids have been live streaming on their Nintendo 3DS this week. I have no idea why they prefer that over watching on the television while streaming through the Wii, but they do.

9. A Gamefly subscription. This has saved me from being dragged to the local Gamestop and spending money on games that the kids inevitably get tired of in three or four days. With the subscription, they can try out games and then send them back. A trial period will only cost $7.99 but we have the three games at once plan, which is $23.95–still cheaper than one single video game.

10. A copious supply of various types of tea, from soothing lemon creme to vanilla chai to wake me up English Breakfast. Okay, this is more for me. But I need tea! It has no calories, it’s a luxury that only takes ten minutes or so to consume and it’s relaxing.

Feel free to supply your own beverage or comfort food of choice. Just make sure to hide it from the kids.

The toddler-friendly Duplo Village has Lego sculptures and lots of large, squishy blocks

Even before I had a kid, I wanted to go to Legoland. The California theme park has dozens of rides and attractions, a water park, and acres and acres of amazing Lego sculptures. And there’s a new one opening in Florida, too. But since it will likely be a few years before my family can make the trip to either one, I was intrigued by the opening of a much smaller version of Legoland right in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We decided to check it out.

Legoland Discovery Center in Grapevine, Texas, is an indoor attraction that’s attached to the supersized Grapevine Mills Mall. It’s not a theme park, but it is a pretty decent attraction, and it provided some solid family entertainment. (Note: It’s a good thing I do have a kid now, because the Discovery Center does not allow adults who aren’t with kids.)

Here are some of the highlights from our visit.

Kingdom Quest: This is Legoland Grapevine’s featured attraction, and it gets prime real estate just past the main entrance. It’s a knights ‘n’ castles-themed ride that snakes a four-person car slowly through a winding path. Each rider is given a laser gun and encouraged to shoot goblins, spiders, and trolls that pop up on large video screens on the walls. The scary parts were a bit worrisome to our 3-year-old son, and he didn’t want to ride it again, but it didn’t really upset him. Two older kids (5 and 6) in our group had a good time blasting their enemies and saving the golden dragon eggs.

Merlin’s Apprentice: The other ride at Legoland Grapevine is a pretty standard cars-whirling-around-a-center-axis deal. Each car is a two-seater, and each seat comes equipped with pedals that control your vertical position (i.e., the faster you pedal, the higher up your car goes). This one was a big hit with all the kids in our group.

Legos Studio 4D Cinema: We enjoyed this 15-minute 3D film about Bob the Builder and his attempts to make a roller coaster out of building bricks. It’s short enough that kids won’t fidget much, and there are nicely paced popping-out-of-the-screen effects that wowed the young audience we were with. The “4D” comes in when water is spilled in the movie — a fine mist of water sprays over the audience, an effect that caused plenty of giggles. There are also some wind and snow effects.

Miniland: This one may interest parents more than kids. It’s a room full of tiny Lego buildings and structures, mostly replicas of Dallas and Fort Worth landmarks. They’re wonderfully crafted, and for fans of miniatures like me, they’re fascinating. But despite some cute motion effects here and there, it’s not that exciting for most kids.

Lego City Play Zone: Honestly, this is just like any other play center climbing structure. It’s big, and kids like it, but it’s nothing special.

Other attractions: We didn’t check out the Princess Parlor (we had all boys with us), we bypassed the Lego Racers track (too crowded), and the Duplo Village warranted only a stop-by (although it’s a good place to chill out with a toddler). The Lego Factory is only accessible when you first enter the Discovery Center, and it’s just a brief look at a few cartoon-y machines that supposedly make Lego bricks, accompanied by cheesy narration from a supposed Lego “scientist.” Honestly, we were so ready to get inside that this part just felt like an annoying delay.

Lego replicas of Dallas' Fair Park in Miniland

Things to note:

Tickets are $19 per person, with a 15% discount for buying online. (You also get to go to the shorter entry line with online tickets.) It’s free for kids age 2 and under. Everything is included in the ticket price except food and whatever you inevitably purchase at the gift shop on the way out.

There are height restrictions for the rides and for some attractions, and kids must wear socks to go into the Play Zone. (They’re very serious about the socks, and will do a sock inventory on your party before you enter, and will sell you socks for $1 if you need them.)

There’s a Lego Cafe selling drinks and snack foods, but no one was visible manning the counter when we sat down at the adjacent tables for a break, so it was lucky we’d brought our own snacks. (Note: Outside food and drinks are officially not allowed. But we were not busted for passing out juice and crackers! Go ahead and bust me now, Legoland — I dare you!)

Yes, you can do birthday parties there — they have some dedicated rooms behind the Cafe.

If you’re not already in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, I wouldn’t say Legoland Discovery Center is a reason to travel. (And there are similar Discovery Centers in Chicago, Atlanta, and Kansas City that might be closer to you.) But if you happen to be in the area, it’s a fun way to spend a few hours with the kids — especially when the Texas heat makes anything indoors feel like an air conditioned dream.

Just over a week ago I introduced you to a fun, creative guy named Steve, who is one of the rare people who can put the words “Lego Master Builder’ on his business cards. In my first post I shared with you how he came to work for Lego and what the typical path that leads to a job as a Master Builder looks like (hint: there isn’t one).

As entertaining as that post was to write, I actually saved some of the best stuff for this follow up post. Let’s dive right in.

My photo from Toy Fair- an amazing model!

Just as there is no typical resume for a builder, there is also no typical day at work. Some days Steve works on big models, like the life sized version of Lightening McQueen, that his group cranked out to launch the Cars2 construction sets. That project took weeks.

Other days he works on finding alternate models that can be built from standard retail sets. He (and other Master Builders) redesign the set, then create free building instructions. Sometimes he creates new concepts and drawings for possible future models.

He also spends some time on the road, representing Lego. He attends Lego events and store openings, helping children and their families build models (I’m guessing he’s really good at that, having enjoyed my time with him at the Toy Fair).

Okay, so while we’re on the topic of display models, let’s talk logistics. I’ve been to a few Lego stores, including the one down at Rockefeller Center, and they’re filled with amazing models. I’ve always wondered who builds them (Steve and friends!) and what happens to them once their shelf life is up.

For one thing, they’re all glued. The builders recognize that many children will be crawling on them and touching them and stability is important. Once a model is no longer needed in its original location it’s moved back to the company office and lives out its life next to other model has -beens (which is why, I’d imagine, the company headquarters must be an amazing mixture of themes, with Lego aliens and X-wing fighters living alongside Dora the Explorer and Spongebob).

If, by some chance, they were ‘loved’ too much and are just too worn out to retire with grace and dignity, they instead head back to the earth. They’re crushed and recycled.

The exception would be the models constructed during building events, which are not glued. When they make it back to company headquarters, they’re taken apart, sorted by size and color, then packed away to be used at another event. Yes, the sorting can be a monotonous job and yes, they accept volunteers.

Now on to Steve’s personal portfolio. He tells me that they do use computer programs to design their models, but much of the work is also done off the top of their heads. It’s always good to leave room for the creativity factor.

When asked what he found most challenging to build, the answer was a simple one. Human heads. “Generally speaking, creating a good lifelike head of a real person is about the most difficult thing we do,” Steve says. I don’t have any trouble believing that.

The biggest creation he’s ever built was a 21 foot great white shark. This is one project he didn’t mind having a little help in constructing.

Steve's great white shark.

His favorite model is a unique one. “My personal favorite was a 2 foot long octopus,” he said. “The challenge was to create a realistic model of an octopus the way they crawl across the ocean floor with all their legs curling and spiraling over each other. While it’s not a huge spectacular model, or some kind of wild show-stopper, it’s still my ultimate “see,-these-don’t-have-to-look-square” model, and I’m still pleased with it whenever I look at it. I built it 12 or 13 years ago.”

Steve's pride and joy!

Later this summer I’ve been promised some insider pictures of the newly redesigned building studio at the U.S. company headquarters in Connecticut. Now that we all know some of the insider information, it’s time to take a peek at the actual behind the scenes place where it all goes down. Many thanks to Steve, for his candidness and humor in answering my endless questions.

As if I needed another reason to love this company that keeps my kids’ creativity supercharged.

What’s a dad to do when his 9 year old son laments the fact that LEGO doesn’t make WWII weapons? If you’re Will Chapman, you devise a plan to create tiny weapons that are compatible with LEGO mini figures. That request was made in 2006. Today, Brick Arms produces 100 different weapons & accessories, weapons packs, and custom mini figures.

I have always been drawn to the domestic side of Lego life. When my brothers were building submarines and jets, I was building domiciles that invariably turned out looking like bomb shelters. I’m convinced their ugliness was not due to my total lack of architectural skill, but the fault of the thick blue blocks that were my only available home-building medium.

Well, Lego home construction has come a long way since the early ’80s. This beach house set includes bricks to make balconies, working skylights, a furnished patio with a grill (and some tasty-looking Lego meat) as well as a mailbox, doorbell and light fixtures.

In the early years, Lego bricks were just a toy. A cool toy, to be sure, and one that showed up without fail at every birthday party either of my boys ever had once they got past the “Hazardous! Small parts!” age. But several years ago my youngest son, now 15, took his LEGO obsession to a new level.

He combined parts from a construction set with pieces from a rocket set to create an all-new scene. Not just a new and different kind of truck or rocket, but something from an alternate universe. He built a light box so that he could snap pictures of his creations. And he became a paid subscriber to Flickr, an online photo-sharing site that (who knew?) is populated with LEGO geeks. He is known there as “Lego Junkie.” They welcomed my son with open arms, and now I have a LEGO geek of my own.

But that’s just a start. Here are 10 other signs that I’m raising a Lego geek.

His Lego bricks are no longer strewn about haphazardly. Instead they are sorted by color and size. This does not mean, however, that an occasional loose brick doesn’t end up underfoot causing much cursing.

His second favorite birthday gift (the new Lego bricks were the best, duh!) was the organizer with 40 little drawers into which he can sort all of the tiny heads and hats and accessories.

Our last donation to the thrift store included a bag full of off-brand bricks because they just don’t stack up.

He disappears into his room for days at a time but you know he’s in there because you can hear the swish of plastic on plastic as he searches for just the right part.

He figures out a way to earn money so he can buy more Lego bricks. Because 5 million pieces are not enough.

He buys 500 pieces of the same exact brick all in one color. Because 5 million, five hundred is a much nicer number than 5 million.

When he can’t find a specific part at any of his his favorite online stores, he buys an entire set of Lego bricks because he needs that one piece.

He will give a difficult math problem just five minutes before throwing in the towel, but he’ll work for hours to figure out how to make a gear ratio work properly so that his creation will walk.

I know that TFOL stands for Teen Fan of Lego. Likewise, AFOL (Adult Fan of Lego) indicates a grown person who is passionate about the brightly colored bricks.

He enters – and wins – building contests. The prize, of course? More Lego bricks.

If this keeps up, perhaps my son will one day become that new dad that Natania mentioned in a recent post (see #6). What’s your kid’s geekiest trait when it comes to Lego?